Grisham is an excellent writer, and this is a page-turner like all of his books. If that's all you're looking for, you won't be disappointed, but don't expect it to be like his other books, because it isn't. It is not a legal thriller, it is a story about one particular season in the life of a little boy.

The plot in a nutshell: Man vs. the elements and man is losing. (Of course man is losing--we're talking about farming!) The story is told through the viewpoint of seven-year-old Luke Chandler, as his parents and grandparents, a bunch of Mexicans, and a bunch of hill people race to harvest the cotton crop. Throw in a couple murders for spice, resolved in a manner appropriate for the area, and a minor mystery that's figured out almost as quickly as it's discovered. Then he finishes it off with an ending that is not surprising but is entirely appropriate and satisfying.

It's interesting and very well written, except for one thing that drove me nuts. I'd have rated it a notch higher except for this one thing. It's told as sort of a "coming of age" story, and the things Luke thought and felt and did would have been much more appropriate for a twelve-year-old than a seven-year-old. I know seven-year-olds, and no seven-year-old would act the way he did! I found that extremely jarring, and it kept pulling me out of the story. He could have made the kid twelve and made no other changes, and it would have worked. If you can get past that, it's still worth reading.

The other thing I didn't like was that it was too realistic. I grew up on a grain farm, not a cotton farm, but I know all about the harsh realities of farming, and I really don't want to relive them through the books I read to escape reality! However, that is my personal feeling, and I still found it fascinating to learn about other types of farming. Just know this: the parts about farming, the weather, and the farmers' reactions to it are not exaggerated one bit.

My overall opinion? Read the book, but check it out at the library, don't spend eight bucks on the paperback. It's worth your time to read, but not worth your money to buy.

See this same book reviewed by Cath